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A determined, college-bound pitcher, improved defense and a new league have Buena Park’s softball team aiming for a destination that has been out of reach for years:
The playoffs.
Behind the pitching of senior Mia Gonzalez, Buena Park (11-8, 3-1) enters the week one game behind first-place Valencia in the new-look Golden West League.
Gonzalez, who signed with Division I Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, is 10-5 with a 0.68 ERA and a CIF-Southern Section-leading 201 strikeouts in 92 innings.
The senior also is hitting .638 with six home runs and 16 RBIs as the Coyotes’ leadoff hitter.
“She’s just putting everybody on her back and rolling with it,” Buena Park coach Jordan Learn said of Gonzalez, who plays travel softball for ZT Blaze Del Campo 18u. “She knows that we have a really good chance and this is her last chance.”
“She’s just locked in,” the coach added.
Gonzalez has not allowed a run in her last three starts in league, including a perfect game against Laguna Hills on April 9. She struck out all 15 batters she faced in a 14-0 win against the Hawks in a five-inning, mercy-rule shortened game.
Buena Park is seeking its first playoff appearance under Learn, who is in her seventh season.
The Coyotes struggled for victories in the Freeway League, the former all-Fullerton Joint Union High School District grouping that ended last spring.
The new Golden West League is the Golden Empire Conference’s second-tier grouping. The league also consists of Valencia (10-10, 4-0), Katella (9-10, 2-2), Calvary Chapel (4-12, 1-3) and Laguna Hills (1-10, 0-4).
“That’s actually really helpful for us because we came out of the Freeway League,” Learn said of the Golden West League.
Buena Park has supported Gonzalez by improving its defense.
The Coyotes’ defense has been led by catcher Layla Hinojos, shortstop Emma Cazares, center fielder Lily Phillips, right fielder Calista Beltran and infielder Liana Mendez.
Hinojos, a sophomore catcher, is hitting .419 with 15 RBIs while Phillips has three home runs.
“It’s great to have that CIF possibility,” Learn said. “I have an ace pitcher who is carrying (us) but it’s all of them. They make it worth it.”
“Because (Gonzalez) works so hard and she strives to get better every single day, it bleeds into everybody else,” the coach added. “We’re just working to make the playoffs. … If we make the playoffs, that’s a huge, huge accomplishment for us.”
NOTES
El Modena defeated Pacifica last week for the first time under ninth-year coach Bobby Calderon. The schools began playing in 2020 after the Mariners hired coach Tony Arduino, who played college baseball with Calderon at Chapman. …
Canyon’s senior pitchers Jordan Simmons (9-4) and Bella Settembro (7-2) are a combined 16-6. Simmons enters the week with a 2.10 ERA while Settembro holds a 1.94 ERA.
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